(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a retainer type connector including a retainer which retains terminals in a housing and more particularly relates to a retainer type connector provided with an interlocking mechanism which interconnects the housing and the retainer.
(2) Statement of the Prior Art
Heretofore, a known retainer type connector comprises: a housing which includes a plurality of terminal-containing chambers, a plurality of retainer-mounting holes, and fixed protrusions on the inner peripheral walls in the retainer-mounting holes; and a plurality of retainers each of which is adapted to be received in each retainer-mounting hole and is provided on its outer peripheral walls with an arm-like flexible locking piece adapted to retain the terminals in the terminal-containing chambers.
When the retainer is inserted into a given position in the retainer-mounting hole, the flexible locking piece on the retainer passes over the fixed protrusion on the housing so they interlock each other, thereby preventing the retainer from coming out of the housing.
For convenience of explanation, a conventional retainer type connector will be explained below by referring to FIGS. 8 through 10. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional retainer type connector, illustrating a state in which retainers are interlocked to a housing. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the retainer type connector, illustrating another state in which the retainers are interlocked to the housing. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of the conventional retainer type connector, illustrating a state in which the retainer is interlocked to the housing.
In the conventional retainer type connector, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a housing 1 and a retainer 2 are provided with fixed protrusions 1a and 2a, respectively. The retainer 2 is forced to be inserted into the housing 1.
In the conventional retainer type connector, there were the following problems:
The retainer is provided with a flexible locking piece (not shown) which is exposed outwardly. The piece happens to strike and hook on foreign substances during carriage and results in breakage. Although the retainer has to be hard in order to lock terminals, the flexible locking piece has to be elastical. The foregoing depends on the choice of the material. On the other hand, although the housing has to be resilient so as to make the lance resilient, the fixed locking piece has to be hard so as to receive the flexible locking piece on the retainer. This again depends on the choice of the material.
In the case of the forced engagement type structure, the fixed protrusions 1a and 2a will be broken and be in an unlocked state as shown in FIG. 10, if the attaching and detaching operations are repeated every time maintenance work is carried out.